Come and learn about the cornerstones of communication in this half day Introduction to Communication Skills Workshop.

This intensive 5-hour program will give you a toolkit of techniques that you can use straight away. Using practical exercises, you will gain the skills required to immediately apply to every day scenarios in professional and personal life situations.

This is a highly interactive workshop where most of the learning will be experiential, the more you interact the more you will learn!

In today’s world there is a direct relationship between the quality of your life and the quality of your communication. It is one of the most utilised by overlooked skills in the modern educational curriculum.

Workshop Objective
• You will learn about your own favoured style of communication
• The components of the communication process
• How to control your feelings and actions by the things you say to yourself
• How your perceptions influence the way you see things
• How to ensure that your message is always understood

Who Should Attend
• People who are actively interested in improving their communication skills
• Managers looking to improve their relationships with employees
• Employees looking to improve relationships with fellow workers
• People involved in public speaking roles
• Entrepreneurs in roles of leadership and influence

Your facilitator

The course will be run by Tony Anagor, founder of Keep the Bounce.
Tony is an executive coach and is also Managing Director of one the first ´Experiences Companies´ in Barcelona. Originally from London Tony has worked with some of the top international companies providing coaching, incentive and training programs for managers and employees.
Tony is also a lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at one of Barcelona´s top Business Schools, he combines his knowledge of how people interact in a style that is engaging and entertaining; Tony believes that learning should be as it was when we were children – fun and exciting.

Price
Price
The price for the workshop is €65

Date
Saturday 16th April 10am – 3pm

Location
European University Barcelona
Ganduxer 70
08021 Barcelona

To book now call us on 606 39 30 18 or send us an email info info@keepthebounce.com

Comments or questions are welcome.

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Which got me to thinking what little evidence I see of celebration of success in Companies. It seems more attention is given to what goes wrong than to that which works well. And yes some would say well that’s what you get paid for so why celebrate. Now as far as I am aware those world class footballers also get paid huge sums of money to do what they do. Which doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate when they win and commiserate when they don’t.

So what lessons can we take from that and apply to our own wins along the way and the wins that are created everyday in Companies all over the world? Certainly when I worked as a head-hunter many moons ago, I repeatedly noticed that many people were leaving Organisations purely and simply because they did not feel acknowledged or appreciated. Be careful what you wish for as I use to find myself thinking: “I wish Companies would pay me to show them how to keep their staff rather than pay me to replace them when they leave” and here I am now coaching and training for a living and loving every minute of it!

Back to celebrations – as we learned in the Keep the Bounce “Me in the Mirror” workshop, feeling significant is a huge basic human need. And we always seek to get our needs met whether that be positively or negatively. So Managers take note: if you notice small wins along the way – have some small celebrations and recognitions along the way. And for big wins – BIG celebrations – don’t wait until an annual appraisal to tell someone that you appreciate their efforts.

The same of course is true in personal relationships: feedback what you notice your partner doing well. Let them know what you appreciate about them and of course do that in a way that is sincere. It is about choosing to notice what is working well. Shine the spotlight on that and notice what you see.

I for one celebrate the fact there are people out there wanting to improve their lives and the lives of others. People as we saw on the last workshop willing to invest their time and money, step outside of their comfort zone all with the intention of creating positive change for themselves and others. I can feel the song in my heart by Kool and The Gang: Celebrate good times, come on!!

What interests me most personally is the mental stamina or lack thereof of winners and losers. I particularly like hearing the comments from players once matches have been completed. Just seconds ago the great Roger Federer was beaten in the quarter finals by a relatively unknown Czechoslovakian player seeded 12: Tomas Berdych. When interviewed immediately after the match he admitted this was this biggest match of his career so far. When asked how he felt about the match he would have to play in the semi finals he said very casually that he was not even thinking about that yet and that he wanted to savour the current moment of triumph! What a great example of living in the present moment and of enjoying and celebrating success. The atmosphere and tension as the match was drawing to a close was positively electric and that was from my couch some twenty miles from Centre Court! I can’t quite imagine how it must have been to be at the event live.
Interestingly one of the participants of our recent “Me in the Mirror Workshop” commented that it makes a HUGE difference participating in a live workshop, rather than trying to learn by himself from a book. The energy and ideas of others, the support and challenge from the trainers adds a dimension that you can only get from a live event. Not that I am biased but I am inclined to agree!
Whatever does happen in the semi finals, Tomas has very possibly created a breakthrough thinking experience for other players: when one person shows what’s possible others change their thinking about what might be……
I say: Keep playing the ball and not the player – and of course you have got to be in it to win it!

Its Half Time

And for me this weekend it seemed very timely being the beginning of July, the second half of the year, to do some reflecting and self coaching and ask myself the question: If I play the second half of the year in the same way that I played the first am I on track to win, lose or draw? It was good to take stock of what is working and what isn’t and draw up a list of what I need to stop, start and continue doing. And to get creative and look for alternative ways to win in areas where my strategy is not working.

I invite you to do the same: look back at the goals, hopes, dreams and wishes you set at the beginning of the year. Are you one set up or one set down? The match is never over until the winning or losing ball has been played but it is good to step back and consider what is working well and what isn’t. If what you are doing is working well, keep doing it. If it isn’t then try something else. Not complicated unless we choose to make it so! Are you clear about what a win looks like for you? I heard players being interviewed saying “it has been my dream to get to the final”. Shame as they could have tweaked the dream ever so slightly and dreamed of WINNING the final. What movies are you playing in your mind? Are you imagining the best or the worst? No-one dreams our dreams but us and we get to write, direct, produce, edit and star in our own movies. How fabulous is that? When I dream, I dream in colour as the beautiful song by Regina Belle goes. Have a listen to it and let me know if the hairs on your arms stand on end as you listen to it.

Dream on but make it count

There have been some wonderful books written about the way they do business at Disney World. I particularly like Inside the Magic Kingdom and the Disney Way. As with any great project for Walt Disney it all started with a dream. In the book they explain they actually pay people at Disney to dream! A department of Dreamers / Imagineers whose job it is to dream up ways of keeping their Clients coming back for more. In complete contradiction to the instructions we often heard at school to stop day dreaming or being told we were “off with fairies”!

So dream on I say and make the second half of the year really count.

AM

After all these years it still never ceases to amaze me, the energy that gets created when you have a group of people all committed to the same common purpose. In our case the purpose was to learn, to laugh and to grow, specifically in the area of personal development.

Un-learning what you know

It might be fairer to say that it was largely a case of UN-learning. We looked at the past and how that in most cases drives current and future choices and decisions. But what if the past was not at all as we believed? Hmm – different choices, different decisions and therefore different futures…. We looked at traditional goal setting and why it doesn’t typically work. We didn’t set SMART goals, we set much SMARTER goals. We even had Dino the Dog who flew over from London to teach a few things too.

The participants who attended represented many nations: Spain, UK, Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Italy, Russia, and that International flavour brought a vibrancy and energy that was at times so palpable it was positively electrifying!Other times it was so quiet with everyone so engaged you could hear a pin drop. Oh the ups and downs, the highs and lows of life and learning. The commitments that were made to different choices, different actions and therefore very different outcomes in all areas of life: personal, business, health and wealth were amazing.

Commitment and Passion to a better future

The support that participants gave each other and the sheer joy they got from supporting someone else’s vision as well as their own was truly magical. Besides having help from others on a very practical level, it was obvious that great friendships have been set in place too. The exchange of ideas, tips and hints from those who are from Barcelona, those who have lived here for some time and those who are new to the City was an added bonus. Whatever personal and individual intentions were set , the one common golden thread that bound both the participants and the trainers was an absolute commitment and passion to a better, brighter and bolder future.

Make that Change

Watch this space Barcelona, that golden thread will weave it’s way throughout the City and beyond… As the King of Pop Michael Jackson sang:” I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways… if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change…. ” stay in action – keep the bounce.

Here’s what some of the people who attended thought:

…”the passion of the coaches was genuine”… Josephine Anagor

…”Intense powerful and enlightening”… Patricia Vargas

…”The chance to interact and bounce off other people was very useful for me”… Stephen Mitchell

Entering in to the spirit of British tradition I have just watched the Epsom Derby. Judging by the number of people there, the magnificence of their clothes, the amount of money changing hands on placing bets, paying for food, drinks and fairground rides it would be easy to conclude that whatever “the economy is doing” people are willing to pay for a great experience and a memorable day out. It links for me quite nicely with the belief that money is an exchange of one person’s value for another’s. Quite simply if something holds value for us on a personal level then we will find the money for it seemingly in spite of what the economy is or isn’t doing.

How Great Can I Be Because Of The Team?

It was interesting to watch the jockey being interviewed who seemed as emotional about the fact both his father and young son were there to witness his win as he was about winning his first ever Derby. The teamwork that goes into the win is also fascinating: owners, trainers, jockeys and stable hands each have their own unique part to contribute. A real sense of each of us needs all of us and all of us needs each of us. And raises the question “how great can I be because of the team and how great can the team be because of me?”

When The Rules Of the Game Change Forever

For the winning horse it was only his 3^rd major race and he has set a record for the fastest Derby win ever. It seems than the bar is always being raised in terms of what’s possible. In coaching terms it is what’s affectionately referred to as breakthrough: when the rules of the game change forever or when all previous notions of what’s possible change: think the four minute mile, think high jump when in years gone by contestants ran up to the bar and scissor jumped sideways over the bar, until one day someone comes along and hurls himself backwards over the bar and redefines what’s possible thereafter.

One thing is for sure: that whatever the economy is doing, whatever the papers say, whatever we hear on the radio or watch on the news, what WE say is possible for our lives and how we set our intention is what really counts. Being clear about what winning means on a personal level, however great or small and moving towards that win is what brings meaning, pride and joy to life. Here’s to your success whatever the economy is doing!

I was silent today

‘Why are you so quiet’ someone said ‘ is something wrong?’ I thought long and hard before I answered Then I began…

There is warmth in silence, there is love in a silence, there is depth in a silence, there is achievement in a silence,

There is strength in a silence, there is peace in a silence, there is understanding in a silence, there is communication in a silence,

There is silence in a silence, there is forgiveness in a silence there is creativity in silence,

There is gold in silence. So next time you wonder why I am so quiet, and you ask me why,

Listen, I might just answer you… in silence.

My name is Ann-Marie O’Donnell and I work with Public & Private Companies, SME’s and private Individuals in a coaching / training capacity. I am also the Co-founder of Keep The Bounce.

One of my areas of specialisation is Career Management: getting promoted internally or externally, getting the next job after redundancy and I am one of only 20 people globally who hold a licence to conduct the “Test the Water” methodology which checks an individual’s readiness for self-employment and highlights specific areas to address in order to optimise the probability of success.

I am passionate about the whole area of Personal Development and from a very early age have been interested in what makes people tick, what distinguishes the successful from the unsuccessful, what makes one person popular over another and why some people seem naturally self confident.

What Did they Really Teach Us At School?

I attended school when the three R’s were considered the most important subjects: reading, writing and ‘rithmetic. I wondered instantly why they were called the three R’s as two of the words did not begin with an R.

Reading I loved, writing I loved but rithmetic and I really did not get on, which was strange given that my first job was working in a bank.

Now I know that the education system has moved on heaps since my days at school, but still I see no subject called Thinking.

And yet so much has been studied and written about the power of thought and how our thoughts create our reality. Now I’m not suggesting that positive thought alone can get you what you want, but great visions and dreams, supported with great thoughts and inspired action can certainly take you in the right direction. I know that to be true from my own experiences and from what I have witnessed through my coaching assignments. In short if you want to change your life change your thoughts.

You Reap What You Sow

For me the analogy of imagining your mind to be like planting seeds in a plot of soil works well. If you tend to the soil, water it and feed it, you will eventually reap a harvest of whatever seeds you sow. Plant sunflower seeds and you’ll get sunflowers, plant poppy seeds you’ll get poppies, plant deadly nightshade seeds and you’ll get pretty but lethally poisonous berries. The soil doesn’t care! It just houses the seeds you sow until they bear fruit. Ask yourself: what seeds am I sowing? What fruit will show in the future from the seeds I am planting now?

Who Thinks My thoughts?

Now I know some will say instantly “yes but how can I think positively when I’ve got xyz going on?”

Ask yourself: Who thinks my thoughts?

Imagine watching a T.V. channel with a remote control in your hand. If you don’t like what you’re currently tuned in to, change the channel (or if you like sit and moan about what rubbish a certain programme is and then continue to watch it anyway – your choice!)

Choose your thoughts in the same way Stay tuned to those you like and change the channel of those you don’t. Your choice……

AM

Now of course I am not so naive as to suggest that ‘ the bounce’ is the answer to all of our woes, of course it isn’t, but I have a sneaky suspicion that we will have healthier, happier lives if we focus on what makes us feel good rather than the opposite… just try it.

This blog is a collection of thoughts and ideas from myself (Tony Anagor) and my business partner Ann-Marie O’Donnell. We hope that some of our musings touch a spot with some of you somewhere.

Martina
“ Setting specific goals takes time as we learned, however, as Tony showed us, it can be done in a new, creative and fun way… ”

Ari
“ Tony Anagor is an inspiring speaker and gave some very good and concrete advise for how to setting your own goals. ”